Where does “smelling” come from?
Smell comes from Middle English smellen, Old English smyllan, Proto-West Germanic smallijan, and Proto-Indo-European smel-, of uncertain ultimate origin and meaning.
smelling (English): present participle of smell; Used in adjectival...
Definitions
- present participle of smell; Used in adjectival...
Ancestry of “smelling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | smell | A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by... |
| 2 | Middle English | smellen | To sense a smell or smells; To give off an odor;... |
| 3 | Old English | smiellan | to fume, reek |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | smallijan | to glow, burn, smoulder |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | smel- | to burn, smoulder, smoke; tar, pitch; to burn,... |